There may be no bigger crapshoot in sports than the NFL Draft. Perhaps that’s why most people subscribe to the idea that you should take the best available player rather than draft based on team need.
In theory, taking the best available prospect will give you a better shot at landing a productive player for the next 5 to 10 years instead of reaching further down the board to fill one need (among several likely needs) that may not even exist in a year.
In a perfect world, those two things will collide when a team takes the best available player that also fills a glaring need. Without further adieu, let’s play matchmaker with five spots where that could happen in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft:
The Raiders hit a home run in 2024 with tight end Brock Bowers in the first round, and they could get another with running back Ashton Jeanty in 2025.
The fit is obvious as Las Vegas ranked dead last in rushing last season after Josh Jacobs departed in free agency. Plus, Jeanty is coming off one of the best seasons by a running back in college football history and has the power (FBS-best 170 forced missed tackles and 1,970 rush yards after contact last season) to mimic some of what made the Pete Carroll-led Seahawks so successful from 2010-15 when they ranked second in the NFL in rushing with Marshawn Lynch.
My only hesitation pertains to Tom Brady now pulling some strings in Las Vegas. Will he want to spend this kind of draft capital on a running back when he won seven Super Bowls with the likes of Antowain Smith, Jonas Gray, Stevan Ridley, Sony Michel and Leonard Fournette in the backfield? There are some first-round picks mixed in there, but the only true star running back he won with was Corey Dillon in 2004 (1,635 rush yards).
If Las Vegas passes on Jeanty, I doubt the Bears could resist the temptation of pairing Jeanty with Caleb Williams, DJ Moore, Rome Odunze and their overhauled offensive line, especially after seeing the impact Jahmyr Gibbs had in Detroit with Ben Johnson. For now, it’s no surprise the Raiders are the favorites to draft Jeanty. – Clawson
Robert Saleh has his work cut out for him as he returns to the 49ers as their defensive coordinator for the first time since 2020. The 49ers ranked in the bottom half of the league in pressure rate, sack rate and defensive EPA last year and then lost six starters on defense this offseason (Leonard Floyd, Maliek Collins, Javon Hargrave, Dre Greenlaw, Charvarius Ward and Talanoa Hufanga), including three on the defensive line.
San Francisco can follow two blueprints for a quick reboot to NFC title contention in 2025. The first is the Eagles, who pressured Patrick Mahomes 41% of the time and sacked him six times in their Super Bowl win despite not blitzing once. They had four talented pass rushers between Josh Sweat, Nolan Smith, Jalen Carter and Milton Williams. The second blueprint is the Rams, who boosted their already young, homegrown pass rush in last year’s draft by taking Jared Verse and Braden Fiske with their top two picks. It paid off as Los Angeles racked up 16 sacks in two games last postseason.
The 49ers have the No. 11 pick in 2025, so this is their shot to finally land an elite pass rusher opposite Nick Bosa. Since drafting Bosa, they’ve invested in names like Dee Ford, Drake Jackson and Leonard Floyd, among others, with no luck. The question is, who will the 49ers target in a deep defensive line class?
Assuming they are looking for immediate production, I believe Saleh and company will have their eyes on Tennessee edge rusher James Pearce Jr., who led or co-led the SEC in sacks (17.5), tackles for loss (28.0) and pressures (107) in the last two seasons. He also posted the fastest 40 time (4.47 seconds) and 10-yard split (1.56 seconds) among edge rushers at the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine. He’s a bit undersized (245 pounds), but that didn’t stop Saleh from drafting Will McDonald (236 pounds) in the first round as the Jets head coach in 2023.
San Francisco’s other options on the edge include Jalon Walker, Mykel Williams and Shemar Stewart. Walker could be off the board by the time the 49ers’ pick, while Williams and Stewart have the upside but perhaps not the pure pass-rush production San Francisco is looking for right off-the-bat in 2025. Ideally, the 49ers (and pretty much every other team) would love to get their hands on Abdul Carter, but I doubt they would be willing to pay the price to move up from No. 11 to a top-five pick to get him (if they even had a willing trade partner).
Another wild card: Would the 49ers consider a first-round shocker by drafting tight end Tyler Warren over an edge rusher if they had Warren ahead of the best remaining pass rushers on their board? It would be a fascinating debate between drafting best available vs. the best fit. It seems like a long shot after the 49ers signed tight end Luke Farrell to a three-year deal worth $20 million, but could you imagine Warren and George Kittle playing together? – Clawson
The Seahawks are in the middle of their second straight offseason with major changes. In 2024, it was the coaching staff with Mike Macdonald replacing Pete Carroll; in 2025, it has been at quarterback and wide receiver. Seattle ended negotiations on a contract extension with quarterback Geno Smith and instead traded him to Las Vegas where he’s reunited with Pete Carroll. Three days later, free agent Sam Darnold agreed to a three-year $100.5 million deal with $37.5 million fully guaranteed. The changes continued with wide receivers DK Metcalf (traded to Pittsburgh for a second-round pick) and Tyler Lockett (released after 10 seasons) departing the Pacific Northwest.
Seattle still needs help at wide receiver, but the additions of free agents Cooper Kupp and Marquez Valdes-Scantling — not to mention former first-round pick Jaxon Smith-Njigba heading into his third season coming off a 100-reception, 1,130-yard campaign — will soften the blow of Metcalf and Lockett leaving. The position group that hasn’t been addressed and is the thinnest on the team is arguably the most important in terms of how successful Darnold can be in year one in Seattle: the offensive line.
The Seahawks have a very good combo of running backs in Kenneth Walker III and Zach Charbonnet, but ranked 28th in both rush yards per game (95.7) and run play call percentage (35%). Their pass protection numbers weren’t great, either, as they allowed the second-most quarterback pressures in the league (264), the third-highest quarterback pressure percentage (39.4%) and tied for the third most sacks allowed (54). The line not only struggled, but was banged-up in 2024. It had nine players start at least two games and at one point had to replace its most consistent offensive lineman in center Connor Williams, who abruptly retired after nine games.
Seattle needs to both upgrade and stabilize its offensive line more than anything, and Grey Zabel out of North Dakota State would be a great fit if he’s available at the 18th pick. Zabel is big enough (6-foot-6, 312 pounds) and athletic enough to play either guard or tackle and showed his versatility in college having started 40 games at four different positions. He’s a great fit as Seattle’s guards ranked last in the NFL in pressures and pressure rate allowed last year.
Over the last two seasons, Zabel started 31 games, 16 at left tackle for North Dakota State’s 2024 FCS National Championship team, 12 at right tackle and three at left guard in 2023. He allowed a quarterback pressure percentage of just 1.7% over that span. His athleticism was on display at the NFL combine during which he had the third-best vertical jump by an offensive lineman in combine history at 36.5 inches.
After a strong week at the Senior Bowl and his performance at the combine, Zabel has climbed up to second in CBS Sports’ interior offensive lineman rankings. Plugging in someone with Zabel’s size, athleticism and consistency in the middle of the offensive line would not only help protect Darnold, but could jump start Seattle’s zone-running scheme with new offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak. – McGrady
The Aaron Rodgers era in Green Bay ended in 2023, but one stat remains from his nearly two decades in Wisconsin: The Packers haven’t picked a wide receiver in the first round since taking Javon Walker out of Florida State with the 20th pick of the 2002 draft. The last time Green Bay picked a wide receiver in the first-round, Rodgers was a freshman at Butte College. This could be the year the streak is broken and Jordan Love could receive a true No. 1 receiver to add to what is already a top-10 offense.
Jayden Reed led the Green Bay wide receiver unit with 55 receptions (T-62nd in NFL), 857 receiving yards (36th), and six receiving touchdowns (T-35th) last year. Just about every team in the league would love a group of Reed, Christian Watson, Romeo Doubs and Dontayvion Wicks, but imagine what they could do with a consistent 1,000-yard receiving threat. In fact, the Packers haven’t had a 1,000-yard receiver since Davante Adams had 1,553 in his final season in Green Bay in 2021.
Matthew Golden from the University of Texas would’ve been a perfect fit with Green Bay’s 23rd pick until about a month ago. Golden probably ruined any chance of being available when Green Bay is on the clock when he ran a 4.29-second 40-yard dash at the NFL combine (fastest among all wide receivers). Golden and Arizona wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan will likely be the first two receivers off the board, which should occur prior to the 23rd pick. If Green Bay doesn’t trade up to get one of them, it can still get its No. 1 receiver with Emeka Egbuka from Ohio State.
Egbuka had a team-best 81 receptions for 1,011 yards and 10 touchdowns in 16 games for the national title-winning Buckeyes in 2024. After not running or doing drills at the combine, Egbuka ran a very solid 4.48-second 40-yard dash and jumped 38 inches on the vertical to show his explosiveness at his pro day. He may not run a 4.29, but Egbuka left Columbus as a team captain, a national champion, the school’s record-holder for career receptions with 205 and second all-time at Ohio State with 2,868 career receiving yards.
When the Packers take a receiver in the first round, they usually don’t miss. The Packers have picked four wide receivers in the first round in the common draft era (since 1967), and two of them are Hall of Famers in James Lofton and Sterling Sharpe. If Green Bay ends its 23-year drought and takes a wide receiver, then Egbuka would be a great fit and give Love something Rodgers never received in his 18 years there. – McGrady
The Chiefs have the most crucial need in the NFL right now with their offensive line after seeing Patrick Mahomes run for his life in both of their Super Bowl losses to the Buccaneers in 2020 and Eagles in 2024. He was pressured a career-high 55% of the time in the Super Bowl loss vs. Tampa Bay and sacked a career-high six times in his last game vs. the Eagles. He’s been sacked 4.3 times per game in four career playoff losses and 1.7 times per game in 17 career playoff wins.
The left side of Kansas City’s offensive line is currently manned by Jaylon Moore (free agent signing from San Francisco that backed up Trent Williams last year) and Kingsley Suamataia (two starts as an undrafted rookie last year) after All-Pro Joe Thuney was traded to the Bears. So, do the Chiefs really want to depend on Moore to protect Mahomes’ blindside? Kansas City already cycled through four different starting left tackles last season, tied for most in the NFL with four other teams (Cowboys, Patriots, Browns, Giants) who combined for a 17-51 record last year. This isn’t the formula for Super Bowl success, to say the least.
Kansas City’s solution is Ohio State offensive tackle Josh Simmons, who is coming off a torn patellar tendon but should be ready for training camp and looks like he has the ability to protect Mahomes’ blind side. He allowed one pressure on 152 pass block snaps last year before his injury, good for the lowest pressure rate allowed (0.7%) in the FBS last year (minimum 100 pass block snaps). Simmons may not be on the board if the Texans (25th overall pick) have anything to say about it, but would it shock anyone if Kansas City traded up like it did last year for Xavier Worthy? – Clawson
The 2025 NFL Draft will take place from April 24-26 at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin. More draft coverage can be found at CBSSports.com, including the weekly mock drafts and a regularly available look at the eligible prospects.
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